F is for Fireball

       A fireball is any meteor that is brighter than Venus (magnitude- 4). A sonic boom usually follows a fireball and they can cast a shadow. They are caused by millimeter- sized (or bigger) meteoroids disintegrating in the atmosphere. It shoots down at the Earth. Sometimes at more than 1,000 miles per hour. It is a big rock that is bright orange, yellow and red. It catches on fire in the atmosphere. That is what a fireball is.

This web page was created by Tim, a student at Briggs Elementary School. I got this information at Zoom Astronomy Glossary and Comet, Asteroid, Meteor Book. This web page was created on November 22, 2005.